The Writing Prompt Boot Camp

How to Take Your Short Stories to the Next Level

Are you writing a short story? The first short story I ever wrote was in the 6th grade. It was about a fictitious solar system of salad toppings. No joke. I remember pacing around the house, dictating ideas, plot and dialogue into my mom’s hand-held tape recorder and, eventually, piecing it all together into a short story that earned me an A. Looking back, it was one of my proudest moments as a young student—and as a young writer.

With that memory poking at my brain today, I decided to round up several excellent articles on writing short stories. From an interview with one of the top short story writers of today to plot advice to how to sell short fiction, these articles will help you take your stories to the next level: